After the Wicked Wife Leaves

 

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

 

Evan quickly hid himself when he sensed his presence.

 

‘This damned territory.’

 

The already heavily guarded area had become even more intense. However, there is a reason Evan could not leave this place. 

 

‘If I fail this time, my Lord will never forgive me.’

<Evan, you’re quite good at throwing daggers.>

 

The person who had taken in Evan, an orphan wandering the slums, and appointed him as an executive in the mercenary guild.

To Evan, Reinhardt was like a god. That’s why he was determined to succeed in assassinating Demian.

Even if it meant burying his bones here.

 

‘Alright. I’ll move closer to the mansion and position myself. Then I’ll take care of Duke Blant.’

“Xenon.”

 

Evan looked back in surprise as he heard a cold voice right behind him.

Soon, he was startled.

 

‘Duke Blant?’

 

Why is he here? While that thought crossed his mind, Evan was already accustomed to acting as Erich’s aide.

 

‘Right, the duke doesn’t know why I’m here. So I’ll just play dumb. And…’

 

Evan had been hiding because he had a gun hidden in his clothes, and he worried that if he was searched, he would be discovered.

However, if he entered the count’s residence with the duke, they obviously wouldn’t conduct a body search.

Then, he could assassinate the child and claim to have completed his mission by blaming it on the Duke. This was Evan’s impromptu plan.

 

“Your Grace, I’m glad to see you here! I’ve been looking for you.”

 

At that, Erich raised the corners of his mouth.

 

“You were looking for me? Why?”

“I am your aide, after all. But what brings you to this territory?”

“Ah, I was looking for my wife. It turns out she’s still alive.”

 

Erich’s expression as he spoke was genuinely joyful.

Though it was a disguise, his aide Evan cursed inwardly.

 

‘It was clear she was dead… Yet he insisted on finding her; he’s definitely not in his right mind.’

 

However, with a purpose at hand, he couldn’t show his true feelings, so Evan pretended to be happy and spoke.

 

“Congratulations! It’s truly a blessing from the heavens that the Duchess is still alive.”

“Thank you for saying so.”

 

Seeing the duke in a good mood, Evan smiled broadly at the thought of going to the count’s residence together.

 

“I should also meet the Duchess soon. Where is she?”

“You already know, so why ask?”

“Yes?”

 

The moment he lifted his dazed face, Evan flinched. The Duke of Blant was looking at him with murderous intent.

 

‘No, the duke can’t possibly know. He wouldn’t have seen anything from that distance.’

 

The distance between the mansion and where Evan was hiding was almost 1 kilometer. Even if the Duke was a transcendent being, it was impossible for him to recognize Evan’s face.

 

‘He must be trying to test me since I suddenly appeared in Count Herde’s territory.’

 

Finally, Evan feigned ignorance and said, 

 

“What do you mean by that?”

 

At that, Erich stared at his jacket with a murderous glint in his eyes.

 

“It would be wise to take out the gun in your pocket before I check it myself.”

 

Upon hearing Erich’s words, Evan could no longer deny it and had to accept the truth.

 

‘Damn it, I’ve been caught!’

 

At the same time, Evan drew the gun from his coat and fired at the Duke.

 

‘Alright, even if you’re a sword master, you can’t avoid a close-range shot…’

 

However, the duke quickly dodged the bullet and grabbed Evan by the neck.

 

“Gack!”

“Whose orders were you following to do something like this?”

 

Erich’s blue eyes flickered with a strange light, as if a demon had taken possession of them.

 

“If you don’t want every tendon in your body to snap, you’d better speak up.”

 

A normal person would have felt terror, but Evan was already engulfed in a greater fear.

 

‘If I reveal anything to him, my lord will think I’ve betrayed him and killed my family. If that’s the case…’

 

He would rather endure torture and die at the duke’s hands. Evan made that decision.

 

‘Still, it would be better to die quickly.’

 

He decided to provoke Erich.

 

“As expected of a human butcher! It’s been over ten years since I’ve been your adjutant… but.”

 

Evan smirked as he looked at Erich.

 

“How much worse could the one who drove his own mother to madness be?”

 

Evan hoped that Erich would lose his composure and kill him. But there was no trace of anger in Erich’s blue eyes.

 

‘Huh?’

 

At that moment, Erich’s fingers, which were gripping Evan’s neck, dug deeper into his skin.

At that moment, Eric’s fingers, which were gripping Evan’s neck, dug deeper into his skin.

It was an aura.

Soon, the aura flowed throughout Evan’s body. He screamed in indescribable pain.

 

“Gaaah!”

 

As Erich’s aide, he was well aware of the man’s infamous reputation. Anyone who was tortured by the Duke of Blant would end up begging for death.

He had secretly mocked those claims, but experiencing it firsthand, it felt like his sanity was evaporating instantly.

 

“You bastard! Stop it! Aaaah!”

 

He swore through the pain.

 

“I’ll tell you everything. Please, spare me, please!”

 

He pleaded, but the Duke did not stop the torture. 

The pain was endless; Evan wanted nothing more than to escape this hell.

 

“I’m telling you everything! Please, please stop!”

“…….”

“Fuck! You fake duke, you pathetic assassin bastard!”

 

At that moment, a smile appeared on Erich’s lips.

 

“It was you all along. The one who manipulated the Grand Madam from behind and embezzled money.”

 

In an instant, the pain faded enough for his mind to clear.

 

“How did you know… Guh!”

“You don’t need to know. Starting now, you’ll be the one answering my questions. If you want to be free from me.”

 

Only after hearing those words did Evan finally realize his mistake.

 

‘Ah, I shouldn’t have come here in the first place.’

 

His life ended after he revealed a few of the things Erich was curious about.

 

‘Turns out I didn’t know as much as I thought.’

 

What Evan knew was mostly about the schemes related to the Blant household.

 

‘Even the reasons were absurd.’

<To bring down the duke’s household and create an excuse to divorce you and the princess… Gaaah!>

 

Erich’s eyes glinted with anger.

 

‘Still, I’ve figured out Reinhardt’s motive…’

 

Reinhardt’s goal was to marry Cornelia, then assassinate Fritz to inherit the throne.

In that process, his intention was to eliminate the child, who could potentially become an obstacle.

 

‘I need to inform her quickly.’

 

For a moment, he unconsciously tried to run, but then he looked at his blood-stained hands.

 

‘I need to wash up first. If she sees me like this…’

 

He knew she already disliked him, but at least…

 

[This monster.]

 

He didn’t want to see her fear him and run away, only to take her own life, like in his dreams.

 

‘Yes, at least I want to appear human in front of you.’

 

So, he would continue to hide his true nature from her, making sure she never found out.

 

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

 

“Shouldn’t you return to the capital?”

“But returning to the capital right now…”

 

Having already been exposed to Erich, and with an unknown enemy targeting my child, I was deeply worried about whether it was wise to move to the capital in this situation.

 

“I understand that Your Highness is in a difficult situation, but your condition is not good.”

 

After a sigh, Marquis Philippe said to me.

 

“I hope you decide soon, Princess Cornelia.”

 

Once the marquis left the room, I sighed again.

 

‘Yes, I need to go to the capital.’

 

But I couldn’t leave my child behind in such a dangerous situation; I had to take him with me. And to do that, I needed Erich’s help.

First, I had to tell him not to reveal my identity in front of others, and I would need to ask him to protect my child in the capital.

 

‘Honestly, I don’t want to rely on him. But…’

 

The sound of the gunshot still echoed in my mind, and I remembered how helpless I was, unable to do anything.

In that situation, Erich was the one who protected my child.

 

<Your guards were powerless in front of the gun. You know well that it would be a foolish choice to expel someone who can block bullets in such a situation.>

 

It was frustrating, but I couldn’t deny his words.

And now, I had to swallow my pride and ask for his help.

 

‘Yes, my child’s life is at risk, so what does pride matter?’

 

But I wasn’t sure if Erich would help me just because I swallowed my pride.

At that moment, another thing he had said echoed in my mind.

 

<It doesn’t matter what it is. I will do whatever you ask.>

‘Right, since he said that, he should listen to me.’

 

With that thought, I went to the guest room where he was staying and burst in through the door.

 

“You, I need to talk to you…”

 

At that moment, I couldn’t help but look foolish when I saw him. Had he just come out of the bath? 

Erich Lennon Blant was standing there half-naked.

Wearing only a bathrobe.

And through the open front of the robe, his toned body was visible.